"If my coach in Sudbury ever yelled at me, my mom would step in," said Foligno, just 19, but growing up fast in hockey as the son of a former NHLer.

Foligno, Ottawa's 2006 first-round pick, 28th overall, is learning what a lot of Senators players already know. John Paddock is open and honest in his player assessments. He's not yet in John ("a save would be nice") Tortorella territory, but, hey, it's still the preseason. Let the man get warmed up.

On Monday, Paddock told reporters Foligno was going to have to "pull up his socks. I don't think he has done anything compared to last year."

That's a pretty strong message for a 19-year-old in his second NHL training camp.

Yesterday, the Senators' new boss spoke with Foligno during the morning practice.

Paddock described his discussion as "black and white."

"Nick has to play better," Paddock said. "He's not the first one to hear that ... he's not the only one."

"Black and white" is an apt expression for Paddock's approach to issues as a head coach. An assistant to Bryan Murray for the past two seasons, Paddock doesn't speak in tones of grey or beige. His public assessments of player performance and status are succinct, often blunt. There is no mistaking his message. There is no sanitizing via Jacques Martin-type clichés that everything is "part of the process."

Paddock keeps his message simple, which is the kind of game he wants to see young Foligno play, even if he lines up alongside superstar forwards Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza.

"Go to the net," Paddock said. "Play in small areas. He has to battle. Heatley and Spezza don't need another skill guy to mesh with them."

Paddock is going to be all right, at least for the press corps, which might be subject to scorn, but not to bag skates.

Members of the Senators media were saddened by the thought of losing Murray as our daily bread. Not that he has gone anywhere. As the team's general manager, Murray's honest disclosures, nicely sprinkled with sarcastic wit, will remain a large feature of hockey reportage in Ottawa.

It's the head coach, though, who answers the bell every day, setting the tone for the team before, during and after games and practices. He confronts the camera lights and microphones, in good times and bad.

After eight years of Martin, Murray was a breath of fresh air when he took over as head coach just before the lockout.

Murray knew what we needed, and he wasn't afraid to say what he thought of a player, sometimes delivered discreetly, other times not.

From fresh air to more fresh air ... Paddock is as honest and pragmatic as any man who grew up on a Manitoba grain farm. He doesn't B.S. anyone.

Keep in mind Kris King's story of the January night he arrived in Winnipeg to play for Paddock's Jets after a trade.

"I'm going to give you one piece of advice," Paddock said, so King leaned in for what he expected would be a hockey tip.

"When you start your car in the morning, let it run for 25 minutes before you get in. Otherwise, you'll freeze."

Oh, but he also gives hockey advice. In his three months on the job as head coach of the Stanley Cup finalists, Paddock has already told:

- Defenceman Wade Redden that he needs to be better than he was last season.

- Returning veterans that they don't necessarily have an inside shot at a top-six forward position despite the departures of Mike Comrie and Peter Schaefer. That Murray will try to find another scorer via trade.

- Every player that "practices should be harder than games."

This brings us back to Mr. Foligno and the sharp wakeup call he has received from Paddock. Wisely, Foligno says he welcomes the criticism.

"I'm my own worst critic," Foligno said. "As long as they're coming up and talking to me and letting me know, it shows they care, that they want me to get better, and that puts a little jump in my step."

In terms of his future as a pro, Foligno, a 31-goal scorer for the Ontario Hockey League's Sudbury Wolves last season, is being directed away from finesse and into heavy traffic.

"They want me to be a hard-working, grinding type player, and that's what I'm going to show them," he said. "I want to prove I can do that at this level."

When the laughter subsided from his comment about mom stepping in if his father/coach were to yell at him, Foligno said:

"This coach is definitely a bit harder, but it's good that he's honest. He's a great coach, coach Paddock. I've learned a lot from him already, and I'm looking forward to, hopefully, working with him for a long time."

Aren't we all, to see how it turns it out.

Seven-day subscribers can read previous columns by Wayne Scanlan at ottawacitizen.com . We welcome your comments on this column or any other sports topic. e-mail us at sportsletters@thecitizen.canwest.com .

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'If I complain about anything that happened this summer, someone should throw something heavy at me.'

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